Maui

It’s not unusual to see parents with their babies strapped on their chests these days, and one of the most highly rated baby carriers of this type is the Ergobaby, invented on Maui. For the past six years, inventor Karin Frost has been investing proceeds from her baby carrier’s success in Hōkū Nui, a project to create a regenerative community in Upcountry Maui. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa visited Hōkū Nui with Kumu Hula Keali‘i Reichel, who is creating a cultural center and home for his hālau as part of the project.

Kumu Hula Keali‘i Reichel’s Hālau Ke‘alaokamaile has numerous awards to its credit, including being overall winner at Merrie Monarch in 2011. In an effort now to deepen their work, the Hālau is establishing a cultural center and joining in a larger effort to create a regenerative community on Maui. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa caught up with Reichel in that pastoral setting for a wide ranging conversation that included a tip for hikers in Hawaiian forests.

The first container-load of solar panels are set to arrive at the Maui College campus in Kahului later this summer. It’s part of a net-zero plan dubbed a “Star Trek” deal that could put the college on the map. During a recent trip to Maui, we thought we would take a closer look at the $6.3 million dollar solar project.

Last week, a coalition of Maui community groups presented a plan at the Alexander and Baldwin shareholders’ meeting in Honolulu. The coalition, Hukilike no Maui, is proposing to acquire five thousand acres, or 15% of A&B’s Maui land holdings, for affordable housing, agriculture, and conservation. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa was on Maui with Hukilike members to find out more about this community planning initiative.

Haleakalā National Park is one of Maui's most popular visitor draws. But starting this year, park officials vastly reduced the number of tour companies allowed to operate in the park. One business that didn't get a contract had to shut down earlier this month. We get more from contributing reporter Colleen Uechi.

Since it launched in 2005, Maui Brewing Company has expanded tremendously — and it’s done so by supporting the entire local brewing industry. Pacific Business News editor in chief A. Kam Napier has more.

Maui High is one of three public schools in the state to offer a day care program for students with children. But now that program is getting phased out because the school is running out of space. We get more from HPR contributing reporter Colleen Uechi.

There’s a court case that’s drawing a lot of attention and not just for the reason the defendant is on trial but because he is insisting on defending himself in his native Hawaiian language. HPR Reporter Ku’uwehi Hiraishi has this story.

This week is a busy one for Hawai‘i’s visitor industry. And while another record year is expected for tourism, more people at the beach means plenty of sunscreen ends up in the ocean. There’s now a movement in Maui County to ban sunscreen containing chemicals that scientists say are harming the reefs. We get more from HPR contributing reporter Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

Water can be a contentious subject, especially in East Maui, where streams have long been diverted for sugar. Now, a battle to restore these streams is coming to an end. We get more from contributing HPR reporter Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

The road to Hāna can be a lovely drive, if you have time to make it out to the east side of Maui by car. Taking a flight has been a popular option for many tourists and locals, but there's only one airline that makes the trip. And now that company says it needs financial assistance to continue the route. We get more from HPR Contributing Reporter Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

Short term rentals are a growing part of the visitor market on all of Hawai'i's islands. On Maui, residents of Paia and Haiku are trying to decide the future of short-term rentals in their community after an unusual discovery: their current community plan and the Maui County Code don't match up. We get more from HPR contributing reporter Colleen Uechi of the Maui News.

It's been just over a month since Kaiser Permanente took over operations at three Maui County hospitals. But the new chief executive officer of the hospitals is already moving on. We get more from Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

Roads leading to the summit of Haleakalā are once again open to the public today. Park officials say the construction convoy delivering equipment for the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope was successful. This follows the latest round of protests against the solar telescope under construction. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Plans for further development on South Maui have been rejected at least for the moment. The latest proposal would have included housing, office and retail space on 75 acres in North Kīhei. We get more on what comes next from Colleen Uechi of the Maui News.

In the world of hula, Hilo has the Merrie Monarch Festival and Honolulu has the Keiki Hula Competition. For the past 42 years, Keiki Hula has cultivated the next generation of hula dancers – some as young as five years old. The group competition kicks off tonight with traditional hula. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has this story.

Around the state, the cost of housing has spiked higher and faster than wages. That has left a gap for what economists call “workforce housing” — housing that is inexpensive enough so that people who work in the area can live there on what they are paid. There’s a new workforce housing project in the works on Maui and this one involves rental units. Colleen Uechi of the Maui News has more.

It's been 17 years since Hawai'i legalized medical marijuana. In 2015, the legislature passed a measure setting up a dispensary program. Eight dispensaries have been approved around the state-and now one of Maui's two licensed dispensaries has begun testing its cannabis crop for sale to patients. We get more on the story from Colleen Uechi of the Maui News.

It's been a little more than five months since the last haul of a commercial sugar crop on Maui. The precise plans are still evolving for alternative crops on the land that was once used to plant sugar cane. But that's not the only question relating to big sugar-there's also a matter of hardware. We get more on the story from Colleen Uechi of the Maui News.

Maui County Parks are going organic. A pilot project to create pesticide-free county parks is underway on the Valley Isle. Over the next year, the county will learn what it takes to implement an organic land management program. And they will do so at no cost to Maui taxpayers. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.

Baldwin Beach Park stretches for more than 17 acres along the north shore of Maui, just outside of Paia. It's got a soccer field, a softball field, and even a cricket pitch. It's also got a significant homeless population. Tomorrow, county officials will conduct a sweep of the area. We get more on the story from Colleen Uechi of The Maui News.

Maui based Ebb and Flow Arts has challenged and delighted audiences across the state since 1999. Their performances are known for high level musicianship and novel experiences; they’ve done nearly ninety world premieres. HPR’s Noe Tanigawa reports there is a free concert coming up in the Hōkūlani Imaginarium in Kāne‘ohe.

The last remaining sugar mill in Hawai‘i wrapped up its final harvest yesterday. Hundreds of workers, families, and community leaders gathered at Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company to say goodbye to a crop that shaped the islands. HPR’s Molly Solomon was there and has this report.